how come police never catch more since they so open can talk to reporter and boasts
http://news.omy.sg/News/Local+News/Story/OMYStory201002170048-128572.html
Thriving poker dens not worried about casinos
OPERATORS of underground poker groups in private houses here are not losing sleep over the opening of Singapore's first casino at Resorts World Sentosa, which welcomed its first customers over the Chinese New Year holiday.
The reason for their confidence: an increasing clientele of wealthy professionals, managers, executives and businessmen (PMEBs) such as high-flying bankers, with a preference for private, "by invitation only" games.
An organiser of one such group, which plays at a Bukit Timah condominium, said: "In the casino, players can't smoke and they need to pay a $100 entry fee. Here, we give them free drinks and food, they're allowed to smoke and are in familiar company."
More private properties are being rented to host home poker games, which can be illegal under the Common Gaming Houses Act. my paper understands that at least eight such poker groups using private housing bungalows, apartments and condominiums islandwide have sprung up in the past two years.
Games are held three to four times a week, and run into the wee hours. Each group usually hosts just a single table that seats up to 10 people. Entry is strictly by referral friends of friends and invitation only. The location and time of games are sent via text messages to players only a few hours before the games. To keep the clientele exclusive, buy-ins for these games do not come cheap.
Minimum buy-ins for different places range from $200 to $500 and the house takes a small amount from the pot. One such venue, a two-storey terrace house in Kallang, looks like any other in the quiet private estate from the outside. The only hint that there is more than meets the eye: the closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera on the porch.
Come certain nights of the week, the house plays host to poker players, many arriving in flashy cars. Once they enter the houses, the blinds go down and the doors are shut and locked. Only then do the cards start whizzing on the table. CCTV cameras closely monitor each table, as well as its surrounding area. The money is sometimes wired to the accounts of the dealers and players after the games, for fear of police raids.
A banker, who declined to be named, has been a frequent face in the underground poker scene since being introduced to it by friends two years ago. The draw isn't the money, the banker said. "It's the thrill of betting. What can you do in Singapore? You can watch a movie or go for coffee. There aren't many things you can do there's no kick."
http://news.omy.sg/News/Local+News/Story/OMYStory201002170048-128572.html
Thriving poker dens not worried about casinos
OPERATORS of underground poker groups in private houses here are not losing sleep over the opening of Singapore's first casino at Resorts World Sentosa, which welcomed its first customers over the Chinese New Year holiday.
The reason for their confidence: an increasing clientele of wealthy professionals, managers, executives and businessmen (PMEBs) such as high-flying bankers, with a preference for private, "by invitation only" games.
An organiser of one such group, which plays at a Bukit Timah condominium, said: "In the casino, players can't smoke and they need to pay a $100 entry fee. Here, we give them free drinks and food, they're allowed to smoke and are in familiar company."
More private properties are being rented to host home poker games, which can be illegal under the Common Gaming Houses Act. my paper understands that at least eight such poker groups using private housing bungalows, apartments and condominiums islandwide have sprung up in the past two years.
Games are held three to four times a week, and run into the wee hours. Each group usually hosts just a single table that seats up to 10 people. Entry is strictly by referral friends of friends and invitation only. The location and time of games are sent via text messages to players only a few hours before the games. To keep the clientele exclusive, buy-ins for these games do not come cheap.
Minimum buy-ins for different places range from $200 to $500 and the house takes a small amount from the pot. One such venue, a two-storey terrace house in Kallang, looks like any other in the quiet private estate from the outside. The only hint that there is more than meets the eye: the closed-circuit television (CCTV) camera on the porch.
Come certain nights of the week, the house plays host to poker players, many arriving in flashy cars. Once they enter the houses, the blinds go down and the doors are shut and locked. Only then do the cards start whizzing on the table. CCTV cameras closely monitor each table, as well as its surrounding area. The money is sometimes wired to the accounts of the dealers and players after the games, for fear of police raids.
A banker, who declined to be named, has been a frequent face in the underground poker scene since being introduced to it by friends two years ago. The draw isn't the money, the banker said. "It's the thrill of betting. What can you do in Singapore? You can watch a movie or go for coffee. There aren't many things you can do there's no kick."
